Road Trip North Dakota Summer

A Road Trip during the summer in North Dakota is an all american experience. I selected 3 photos from a road trip that I think give a viewer a snapshot of what such a road trip is bound to unveil. 

Atlanta Tx state park

I journey to Atlanta State Park in Atlanta TX. I had been warned that it was not worth my time, but I could not keep away.

The Pros:

• Lots of trails, you will not hike every trail in one day
• Great staff
• lovely forest
• has lake access

The Cons:

• Poorly marked trails, I went miles out of my way on the nature trail?!?!?!
• The lakefront is not very well maintained.
• Most of the trails are in the woods and lack wow factors.
• The rustic restrooms that I encountered were overrun by wasps.

Overall opinion, if your in the area and want to get away for a while its a lovely place to do that, however it is not worth a trip out to visit.

RC Comics

RC Comics in Kilgore Texas is a gem for sure.

https://www.facebook.com/rccomicshop

Ricky the owner is friendly, helpful and loves comics. They are one of the few businesses that have evening hours in Kilgore. The prices are great and really a comic book is such a great gift.

They have a 2 for $1 section and I raided it today while my clothes were in the wash. Soon family and a few friends are going to get some comic book gifts. If you are passing through or living in the area RC Comics is a must visit in Kilgore Tx

Birthday Weekend in Austin Tx

I had quite a time finding a list of things to do as an adult that was not going to be out all night drinking in Austin and thus I want to share with you what we did for a short weekend in Austin. 

Arrive Friday Evening:

Dinner at a drive by find

To Bed early at: Candlewood Suites Austin Arboretum-Northwest

Saturday Morning 

a 5k downtown

Back to the hotel to freshen up 

Lunch at Mothers Cafe and Garden
http://motherscafeaustin.com/

Next stop the Cathedral of Junk

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/7816

Than down town to do some shopping, hit up some local brewpubs and a treat at http://www.jimjimswaterice.com

Dinner at Pint house pizza

A show at CAP city comedy club

And finishing the night at Sams Boat watching the UFC.

http://www.samsboat.com/home.html

Sunday Morning:

Brunch at a Thai Restaurant

A trip to Austin HomeBrew

And back home.

We had a fantastic weekend, if we did it again I think we would plan things more in one location, Austin has some great neighborhoods our journey sent us all over the place so a lot of time in the car.

Longview Tx Farmers Market

For over a month now I have had the joy of the downtown Longview Saturday farmers market. While a far cry from those in NY, NJ it fills me with happiness as I journey through the 7 or 8 booths each week gathering fresh local produce, cheese and eggs.

Great deals are hard to find, however excellent in quality, long lasting and full of flavor. This last week I filled my basket with thai goat cheese,
yellow beans, snap peas, egg plant, potatoes, jalapenos and cucumbers. Supplemented with collard greens and cilantro from our garden we have been eating well for the past few days.

Today I discovered that the Fairground Farmers Market has opened for the season and I scored my first peaches of the year! The Fairground Farmers Market is tucked back and a bit hard to see, but go to the fairgrounds, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 8am and noon and you should be able to find it. Its a true gem if you are new to the area and looking for some spectacular inspiration. Tonight for desert we had peach pie with a gram cracker crust YUM!


Here are the links: http://www.longviewfarmersmarket.org/ http://www.historiclongviewfarmersmarket.com/